Chapter Text
Chapter 1: When You Say Nothing At All
It was the summer of 2000. Music City-better known as Nashville, Tennessee-was hopping. On a Friday night, the bars and clubs were open. The Bluebird Cafe open-mic line stretched out the door. Honky-tonk and classic country music poured out of the clubs, steeping the streets of the most famous city in country music. Ten miles out of the downtown district, the Grand Ole Opry was playing to a packed audience on WSM-650 AM, for those in the know. Classic country duet Will Bailey and Kate Harper were the headliners, their famed duet “Just to Hear You Say You Love Me” pouring out of the radio speakers of nearly every car on the strip. But not far from the Opry House was where nearly all the legends of the country music industry were gathered.
A studio party room nestled in the heart of Nashville was hopping with excitement. Live music played from a stage up front. Good food was everywhere. Near the entrance to the room was a mockup of the album they had all come to celebrate. Under a photo of a young Jed and Abbey Bartlet read “It’s Your Love: The Bartlets’ Greatest Hits”.
Jed and Abbey Bartlet were more than just two country artists who sang well together. They were legends in their own right, each with a now-iconic tune. But together-together they were magic. And their professional partnership had transferred to personal-the proud parents of three daughters, and the owners of a record label called Abu El Banat Records. For the longest time, they had led the independent country music industry, shepherding new artists through like lambs finding their way. And a lot of the time, their gambles had paid off. Nine of their last ten artists had become either number one artists or regular performers at the Grand Ole Opry. Many times both.
One of them-Josh Lyman-was hanging out at the bar with his friends, bluegrass artist Toby Ziegler and publicist CJ Cregg, when Leo McGarry, their music manager as well as Jed’s and Abbey’s, approached as CJ was cracking up over a joke.
“You know that guy’s played ‘Jambalaya’ five times, right?” Leo asked.
Josh shrugged. “Maybe that’s all he knows.”
“Yeah. Go reprieve the audience of the Hank Williams extravaganza, will ya?”
“I hear, ‘Jambalaya, and a crawfish pie and a filet gumbo,’ one more time, I will fight someone,” Toby grumbled in his serious way.
Josh laughed, then went up to the stage, saying a few words to the musicians before stepping up to the mic. “How y’all doing?”
The audience cheered.
“I thought maybe I could play one of my hits for you. That alright?”
The audience cheered even louder.
He started to play the intro to “Don’t Take The Girl”, one of his first number one hits. He began to sing as he caught the eye of one of his favorite people on the planet.
Donna Moss had been a struggling songwriter at the Bluebird Cafe before meeting Josh for the first time. They had been steadily dating for the last three years, and Donna had been his songwriter for even longer. This had been their first song together.
As Josh performed, Donna watched from the back. Just then, she was approached by the Bartlets’ youngest daughter, Zoey.
“Hi, Zoey,” Donna smiled. “How are you?”
“I’m good. I got an email today. I’ve been booked for the Ryman in January.”
Donna gasped. “The Opry?”
“Yeah.”
“Zoey, congratulations! That’s fantastic!”
“Thanks. I thought I’d do one of my mom’s songs as a cover.”
“You should. ‘Rose Garden’?”
“Mm….I’m thinking ‘Harper Valley PTA’.”
“That sounds fantastic!”
“Yeah,” Zoey turned to watch Josh. “That song, ‘Don’t Take The Girl’? It’s so sweet, but so sad at the end.”
“I know. I wasn’t thinking of anyone in particular when I wrote it. Just….tumbled out of me, I guess?”
Zoey laughed. “You always sell yourself short, Donna Moss. Don’t you ever wonder why Josh has half the success he does? You could make a real career with all those instruments you play.”
Then, she left, leaving Donna to wonder as Josh switched into his next song.
Zoey found herself standing near the back, where she knew her parents were getting ready for their performance. Suddenly, she noticed an African-American young man picking at the sheet music hung on the walls.
She walked over. “That’s all music written by Abu El Banat artists. CJ, Donna, Will, even Arnold Vinick.”
“That’s cool,” He said. “So…it’s not all female artists?”
“It’s majority female. But we’re not sexist or anything like that. That’s just our niche.”
“Why do you say that like you know what you’re talking about?”
Zoey stuck out her hand. “Zoey Bartlet. Youngest daughter, born backstage shooting an Opry Christmas special.”
“You-you’re Zoey Bartlet?”
“Yeah.”
“Congrats on your Opry debut, Ms. Bartlet.”
“Thanks. Who are you, anyway?”
“Charles Young. I just signed with your parents. Josh brought me onboard.”
Meanwhile, after Josh finished a stirring rendition of his latest hit “When You Say Nothing At All”, he stepped off the stage to applause. He approached them.
“What’s going on here?” He asked.
“Apparently, he’s tripping over his own feet trying not to put them in his mouth.”
“Okay, back up. See, Charlie, this is a girl. You don’t have to call her Ms. Anything.”
“I should call you Zoey?”
“If I can call you Charlie.”
They smiled at each other, a moment of understanding passing between them. This would not be the last time they met.
Leo walked over.
“As usual, kid, fine musicianship,” Leo complimented.
“Thanks. It’s all Donna’s work on the songs. It’s because of her that I think I have a chance at Entertainer of the Year.”
“She already won Song of The Year at the ACM Awards. She might have a chance at the CMAs.”
“Yeah. If she wins both, it’ll cause quite a stir.”
“Tell me about it.”
They bid goodbye to Charlie and Zoey, wandering over to Toby and CJ. Just then, Bruno Gianelli went up to the mic.
“I hate that guy,” Leo murmured as Bruno escorted an attractive brunette to the mic. “What’s he doin’, bringing his people to a competing record label’s celebration?”
“You know Jed, he can’t say no to anybody.”
Amy Gardner took the stage. From the first notes, CJ’s hand tightened on the glass.
“That’s my song,” She said with clenched teeth. “She’s singing my song! She can’t do real country!”
“Amy’s a fine singer,” Josh said. “And people are allowed to do covers.”
“You just say that because you used to date her. Her biggest hit is a pop song about keying someone’s car and bashing their headlights in with a baseball bat. All guitar, glitter, and glam. Not a whiff of what it takes to sing real country.”
“And your hits weren’t with electric guitar?” Donna asked as she walked over.
“That’s different! At least I had twang and honest lyrics.”
Toby shook his head. “Gold and Platinum Records is an apt name. Glittery on the outside, cheap on the inside.”
“How are we gonna compete?” Josh asked.
“I guess we’ll just have to see,” CJ said.
Leo nodded. Once Amy Gardner had exited the stage, he walked up.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank y’all so much for coming out to the album release party for the Bartlets’ first-ever greatest hits album! And thank you to Josh Lyman and Amy Gardner for entertaining us!”
Everyone cheered and applauded.
“Now, now. I’ve known Jed going all the way back to 1958, when Little Jimmy Dickens-y’all know him-invited him to make his Grand Ole Opry debut. I asked him if he had a manager. He said, ‘No, can you do it’? I’ve been with him ever since, which is why I was around when the powers that be decided that Jed needed a girl on his arm at awards shows and when he became a member of the Opry. I was there that night when he met Abbey-or AA Barrington, as she was known back then. A woman who looked just like Patsy Cline, had the voice of Tammy Wynette, and the soul of Dolly Parton. They weren’t supposed to last at first, but Jed fell for her hook, line, and sinker as soon as she sang the first notes of ‘Cowboy, Take Me Away’. They sang together on a couple of duets, hit number one with ‘It’s Your Love’ and that was it. Bam. Magic.” Leo let that hang in the air. “Thirty years, fifteen top-twenty hits, and three daughters later, they have evolved into one of the legends of the country music business.” Leo paused for effect once more. “Ladies and gentlemen…you know them, you love them. Here for a repeat performance of their signature hit-The Bartlets!”
Coming out from the back of the room, Jed and Abbey Bartlet looked just as luminous as they did onstage-whether that was at the Opry, on tour, or right there at their studio. They didn’t look like they were in their late fifties, the proud parents of three grown daughters, yet there they were. Jed took the mic.
“Thank you!” He called over the thunderous applause. “Thank y’all so much for coming out tonight. On behalf of myself and my wife, Abbey, we are so thrilled to release this album-the best of both of us.”
“It’s a love letter to the industry that we love so much,” Abbey continued. “We had the privilege of recording not just our duets with each other, but some of our individual hits with some of our favorite people.”
“All that’s left to say is, go out and buy it!” Jed smiled. “Now, who wants to hear the one that started it all?”
The crowd went wild. Jed picked the first notes of their signature duet on his guitar. Abbey took a seat on the stool next to him, an assistant handing her a wireless mic.
Jed began to sing, a creamy country twang from the hills of Virginia where he had grown up playing with AP and Sara Carter.
Dancing in the dark
Middle of the night
Taking your heart
And holding it tight
Emotional touch
Touching my skin
And asking you to do
What you've been doing all over again
Oh, it's a beautiful thing
Don't think I can keep it all in
I just gotta let you know
What it is that won't let me go
Abbey took her microphone and started to harmonize in a brusque alto that had once blasted out a song about a small-town PTA that had shot to the top of the charts.
It's your love
It just does something to me
It sends a shock right through me
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love
Better than I was
More than I am
And all of this happened
By taking your hand
Donna, who had slipped onto the stage, started to play the fiddle.
And who I am now
Is who I wanted to be
And now that we're together
I'm stronger than ever
I'm happy and free
Oh, it's a beautiful thing
Don't think I can keep it all in, no
And if you asked me why I changed
All I gotta do is say your sweet name
It's your love
It just does something to me
It sends a shock right through me
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love
Oh, baby
Oh, it's a beautiful thing
Don't think I can keep it all in
I just gotta let you know
What it is that won't let me go
It's your love
It just does something to me
It sends a shock right through me
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love
It's your love
It's your love
They lowered the microphones as the crowd burst into cheers, looking at each other with such love in their eyes that it was easy to see that the professional and personal lines were blurred. No one could tell where Jed and Abbey started and The Bartlets ended.
They were one.
…
That evening, coming down off of the successful party, Jed, Abbey, and Zoey were driven home in their car. Just then, the car phone rang. It was Ellie, their middle daughter, checking in on how the album launch went. They talked to her for a few minutes before they pulled up to their large Nashville estate. It was modest by some standards, but it was enough to say they had made it.
They got out of the car, and walked into the house and upstairs.
“Mom, I’m gonna stay up for a bit. See if I can write,” Zoey said.
“Okay, honey. Good night. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Good night, sweetheart,” Jed smiled.
They reached their bedroom, decorated with soft colors and dark blue walls. It held a flat-screen TV and other amenities, but for Jed and Abbey, it was a haven from the rest of the world.
Jed sat down, pressing his fingers to his wrist. Abbey sat down next to him.
“Tired?” She asked softly.
“Yeah. My body isn’t built for these late nights anymore.”
“I hear you,” She slipped off her boots. “But I thought Josh and even Amy Gardner did a nice job. I can’t believe I used to pay the bills when I was starting out by babysitting her.”
“As I recall, the Gardners owned a large law firm and paid you well.”
“Yep.”
“You know, Leo said before we left that he was hearing some rumblings about Gold and Platinum.”
“Well, they already stole Will and Kate from under our noses. Next it’ll be Josh. If CJ hadn’t voluntarily left the industry to go be a publicist, Bruno would’ve gotten her too.”
“We have to do something.”
“What do you suggest, babe? Adding crossover to our stable? Because I don’t want to change our image just to please the industry. We’re traditional country-first, last, always.”
“I actually had something bigger in mind,” He said.
“Like what?”
“Adding more labels.”
“How?”
He took a breath. “I hear Columbia’s for sale.”
“Columbia Studios?”
“Yes.”
“You want to buy it?”
“I want to buy it and start up new labels for every type of country music you can imagine. You’ll see, Abbey. I am going to change the landscape of country music as we know it.”